Strike One

So, police procedurals aren't really my cup of tea.  I'm not a big fan of them on TV (aside from Elementary and Hawaii Five - 0, which I love), and I'm even less of a fan of them in books.  BUT, that said, I will make an exception every now and then.  This is one of those times.

I was in college when the Harry Potter books were released.  I read them, I loved them.  I still reread them.  Harry Potter represented a paradigm shift in children's literature; it blurred the lines between fact and fiction, between the real world and the supernatural world, and between children's fiction and adult fiction.  Two of these things were noteworthy, one was earth-shattering.  Suddenly, it was OK for adults to be caught reading kids' books.  And that still persists today.  J.K. Rowling achieved something great with her Harry Potter books, and they remain some of my favorites, even now, years later.  So when the Cormoran Strike series came into being, of course I had to read them.  Now, I did not wait in line for The Cuckoo's Calling to get it on release day.  I didn't even read it within the first week it was available.  It was a while.  I knew I was going to read it, it was just one of those things I didn't quite get around to.  It wasn't until The Silkworm was released that I actually even read The Cuckoo's Calling.  But then I read it in two days.  I loved it.  So I immediately ran out and bought The Silkworm.

"Wait," you say.  "This book cover shows The Silkworm was written by some dude called Robert Galbraith.  What does that have to do with J.K. Rowling?"  After the harsh criticism she took over her first post-Potter book The Casual Vacancy, Rowling decided to distance herself (in name, anyway) from her very public name in an effort to give her new books a chance to be judged on their own merit, rather than on the fame of her name.  Which means: Robert Galbraith = J.K. Rowling in disguise.

Now, I knew going in that Rowling was the author of these books (by then, it wasn't a secret any longer), but I did my best not to let my expectations for one of my favorite authors color my opinion of the Strike books.  I was not disappointed.  Here's the blurb, ripped from Goodreads:
        
        When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

        But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

        When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

Rowling's (or, to be technically correct, Galbraith's) hero, Cormoran Strike,  is ex-British military, a big, rough-looking man who suffered a debilitating injury in the course of service.  He isn't a traditional hero; he's a quiet, broody, chain-smoking, semi-alcoholic with one leg.  Not really "be still, my beating heart" material.  But, I think, that's the point.  It isn't about what he looks like; it's about who he is.  Strike is a world-weary, experience-wise detective whose outlook on the world gives him a unique perspective on things.  I like this about him.  He is flawed and damaged, which makes him relatable and real.

The other main character in the book, Strike's assistant Robin, is as equally relatable.  Though beautiful in her way, and though she has a handsome, successful fiance, Robin's life is not all rainbows and unicorns.  Said handsome fiance, Matthew, is a serious douche bag.  He isn't at all supportive of Robin's chosen career, and revels in belittling her and her job at every opportunity.  He cares too much about money, and not enough about people.  So, though it seems on the surface as if Robin has it all, her life is endlessly frustrating.  She does, however, present a perfect foil for Strike as she is refined and calm and well-mannered.

Their partnership is an entertaining as the plot of the book itself.  Strike and Robin work together with respect and teamwork, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.  Where Strike prefers to be out on the streets, beating the pavement for answers and information, Robin has a knack for tracking down information digitally, over the phone, and through interviews.  Strike teaches Robin about being a detective, and Robin keeps Strike connected to humanity, when he would otherwise withdraw into himself.  The characters, these two, are what drives the plot.  It wouldn't be the same without either Strike or Robin, and the things that both of them bring to the story.

As for the plot, it is well done.  Galbraith sets up a mystery that could have many solutions, and at different points, I was willing to consider them all. Strike treads through all the strides of detective work - the exciting and the mundane - and readers go along on this journey with him.  There is blood, there is betrayal, there is danger.  And when all is finally revealed, it made me want to go back and reread the entire book to see how I could have possibly missed the clues.  It was a satisfying conclusion worthy of the best mystery novel.

I would recommend this book to readers who are mystery fans.  It adheres to all the conventions, and presents an intricate thriller that keeps readers guessing until the end.  It is multi-layered, with a depth that indicates careful thought and planning on the part of the author.  Not for the faint of heart, though, as there are a couple of rather gruesome scenes.

Readers who like The Silkworm may also like:
Death of a Reader by Michael Collins
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
Original Sin by P.D. James

Continuing with my Reading Resolution, I will be reviewing a juvenile title next - Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.  This was a really fun read, so check back soon!

Long Live the King

YAY for YA!  Another sneaky admission - I love reading YA books.  Yes, I get tired of reading about vampires and werewolves and love triangles, so I try to avoid the titles with these tropes (sometimes it's cursed hard), but what I love about reading YA books is that there is no limit to what can happen in them.  As a general rule, YA authors aren't out to win awards or critical acclaim - they just want to tell a good story.  And I love that.

I have met my goal of three teen titles for my Reading Resolution, and herein is the review for the first title, The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater.  This is the final book in the Raven Cycle quartet, and I found it to be well worth the wait.  Maggie Stiefvater is, in my opinion, a brilliant author.  She had been well-received and reviewed, and people love her books.  Her first series, the Wolves of Mercy Falls quartet was a miss for me, because it highlighted - you got it - both werewolves and love triangles.  Just wasn't my thing.  But then I read The Scorpio Races, and thought it was brilliant.  So, when the first book of her newest series came out, I strapped in for a wild ride with the Raven Boys and their Blue.  I found the series completely unique, creepy, and mesmerizing.  From the character development to the world building to the gorgeous way Stiefvater writes, I was hooked.  This was a five-year investment, but never a waste of time.  This series is something akin to Edgar Allan Poe meets Dead Poets Society - mystery and darkness mixed with privilege and antique.  So, then, without further adieu, The Raven King.  

 First of all, look at that gorgeous cover.  If that doesn't make you want to pick up the book and at least give it a look, there's something wrong with you.  (Not really, but yeah.)

So, a little background- because there are three books that have come before this one.  There are five main characters - Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, and each of them has something, well, odd about them.  It is their differences that set them apart from everyone around them, and bind them together.  The overarching mystery of the series is their search for the long-sleeping Glendower, a mythical Welch king with centuries-old magic.  As for each of them - Blue is a seer, Gansey is a scholar, Ronan is a dream thief, Adam is a magical conduit, and Noah... well, spoilers.

What I liked about The Raven King:
*The low-hanging sense of mystery that never really goes away.  Oft times with books (or a series) like this, at the end, the mystery is solved, and everyone goes about their merry ways.  Not so, here.  Our adventurers are left with a bit of disappointment, but also with hope in a bittersweet non-so-resolved resolution.  There are definite loose ends - but that's ok with me.  It makes me feel like Stiefvater trusts me enough as a reader to get it.
*The characters.  The characters.  The characters.  Oh, and the characters.  I cannot say enough about the individual personalities that Stiefvater created for this series.  They develop slowly, their unique traits and talents being revealed only when needed, and not before.  Just when I started to get frustrated because I was feeling like I didn't know what was going on, Stiefvater revealed the perfect amount of information to both alleviate my frustration, and bring me back into her confidence.
*The setting.  So well does Stiefvater integrate details, that I (feel like I) know exactly what this world looks like from Gansy's factory loft to Blue's rambling house, to the town, to the mystical Cabeswater.  And she does all this without "telling".  Rather, she allows her characters to do her talking for her, so we see these locations through their eyes, rather than through the author's.

What I didn't like about The Raven King:
*I'm hard-pressed to think of anything at all.  I had this finale so built up in my head that it would have been easy for it not to measure up to my expectations, but it certainly did.  If I have one complaint, it may be that the ending seemed a little rushed after such a long build-up.  But honestly, I don't know if there is any way this series could have ended differently.

So, that said, I would recommend this book for teens and adult alike who like moody mysteries tinged with a little bit of magic.  Don't be fooled - it's a four-book investment.  But definitely worth it if this type of read is your cup of tea.  Those who also like strong characters (particularly female ones) will not be disappointed.

If you liked the Raven Cycle books, you might try:
* Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor - These books are atmospheric and compelling and, though they are a bit more imaginative, they also feature strong characters (particularly female) with some unnatural abilities.
* Fallen series by Lauren Kate - These are definitely dark and moody books, but they feature an interesting cast of characters who are working together - though they may not really like it - to solve an ages-old mystery.
* Goddess War series by Kendare Blake - Though a little more action-forward than the Raven Cycle, these books also bring mythology into reality and integrate the historic with the contemporary, while also featuring a romantic element.

In my next review, I will be featuring the second book in a series I've become completely obsessed with, so standby for The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. 

All Aboard for... Muuuuurder.

I have a confession to make.  For all my years of reading, and the vast collection of books I have in my private collection, Murder on the Orient Express is the very first book I've read penned by the Queen of Crime.  But, since I finished it (hmm, a month ago, maybe?) I've read four others.  Agatha. Christie. Is. Brilliant.  She has such a way with words, with making the solution to the mystery so simple one wonders how on earth one could have missed deducing who the killer was.

I like mysteries.  Not particularly bloody, gory, gross mysteries, but ones especially that are period-set and feature a colorful cast of characters are on top of my "to be enjoyed" list.  And MotOE fit in with my interests perfectly.  It is set in the 1930s, takes place in an interesting, foreign location, and contains many interesting characters, including Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

For the sake of time and space, and to curb my clumsy attempts at characterizing such an intricate plot, here is the blurb from Goodreads:

  Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train         was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer.  

A passenger lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

Sounds great, right?  IT IS!  Locked door mysteries are always interesting, and the dickens to solve, if the author does it right.  Which, of course, Christie does.  

One interesting thing about this book is that it takes place (mostly) in a static setting.  It is tricky business to pull off a book that takes place all in one location, but here, it works.  There are enough characters, and the writing is snappy enough that the location doesn't really matter.  Additionally, there is a lot of mental motion in this book, and Christie assumes her readers are intelligent enough to follow the movement. 

I do not particularly care for Poirot as a character.  He's stuffy and patronizing, and I find him too hoity-toity for my taste.  (Incidentally, it's rumored that Christie herself felt the same way.)  However, I can't argue with his brilliant powers of reason.  (I can't say his powers of deduction, because, well, you know...)  The mystery in this book is one that could only be solved by someone with an excellent memory and ability to connect faded dots - which Poirot has.  One must appreciate a little man who can "No, no, cherie" his way through an interview while actually listing all the reasons the dear lady could be the murderer.  

Overall, this way a very satisfying book.  The mystery itself was compelling, the suspect list varied and colorful, and the resolution surprising.  This read was enough to, as I said, make me want to delve deeply into the pool of other Christie offerings.  Mystery fans won't be disappointed. 

 

Immortal Warriors and Magicians and Mermaids, Oh, My!

    It may come as a shock to some of you (though maybe not) that I am a Nora Roberts fan.  I mean, after all, she is like the Godfather of romance.  She can write a fantastic thriller threaded through with a complex love story (none of that fluffy crap).  Some of the things that really draw me to Robert's work are her ability to write strong characters, and the way she can build a multi-layered narrative.  These two things are very hard to do, and she excels at them.  Roberts' characters are always individual, different, and have unique personalities.  Additionally, she writes men very well, which is something, I have found, a lot of women authors struggle with.  Roberts also has the ability to seamlessly carry out multiple story lines, which keeps the reader engaged, and wanting to know more.

    I recently finished Stars of Fortune, the first book in Robert's new "Guardians" trilogy.  I quite like it when Roberts writes trilogies, because it allows me to hang out with her characters for longer than just one book.  Some of her trilogies I like better than others (love: The Gallaghers of Ardmore, The Key Trilogy, The Circle Trilogy; not crazy about: The Sign of Seven Trilogy, Cousins O'Dwyre Trilogy, Three Sisters Island Trilogy), whether it be because I liked the premise of the books better, the setting, or the characters, but none of them have ever been a waste of time.  Based on my reading of Stars, I believe the Guardians are going to be on my "love" list.

    First of all, look at this cover.  So. Much. Sparkly.  How could anyone not want to read a book with such a great cover?  (What's that, you say?  Don't judge a book by its cover?  Nonsense.  Publishers know that covers sell books.  They don't give crappy covers to books they hope become best sellers.)  Second, six characters, each with a secret and a dodgy past, working together to solve an ages-old mystery?  Love it!
 
    So, the plot...  (Blurb taken from GoodReads)
To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

    For someone like me, who, at heart, is an adventurer who loves fantasy and the impossible, this book was like candy.  It has everything that I look for in a book: a gorgeous setting, a quest, irresistible characters, and a dash (perhaps even a shake?) of magic.  

    What I liked:  
     The Characters:  Roberts does an admirable job of fleshing out the characters.  Each is so unique with his/her own back story and talents, that it would have been an injustice to dive into telling about them willy-nilly.  She does not succumb to this temptation.  She takes her time, revealing truths about the characters bit by bit.  In fact, it isn't until the last 1/127th of the book that readers actually learn the truth about the last character and where he comes from.  There are six main characters in all (and each couple will be the "star" of their respective book.  This book was Bran, the magician, and Sasha, the seer's book), and Roberts balances the story nicely, giving each character its due time and introduction.  
    The Dialogue: Is great - witty and sharp for the appropriate characters, sweet and patient for the others - and is markedly different for each character based on personality.  It's also individual to each character, so even without dialogue tags, it's easy to tell which of them is speaking.
    The Mystery: Not only are readers along for the ride in the quest to find the fire star, but they are also trying to figure out the truths about all of the characters.  And some of the reveals are doozies!
    The Bond:  One of the things I always love about Roberts' trilogies especially, is the relationship that develops between her cast of characters.  They become each others' family, and have to rely on each other for their very survival.  But they know how to kick back and have fun with one another, too.  And they scrap, which I love.  Because it wouldn't be authentic if everyone got along all of the time.  I love the fights, when the women get all feisty, and the men curse and call each other names.  And then, when they've all made up, their relationship is even stronger for it. 

   What I didn't like:
    The Villain:  I'm not convinced, yet.  Right now, she's just a shadowy, vague presence who has the power to command the darkness and evil vampire bat-type creatures.  Scary, yes, but not to the point where I'm really fearing for my heroes' lives.  I want to see a legitimate threat, a corporeal one with a body and Force-lightning shooting from her fingers.  ;)

    Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next one.  After all, Annika and Sawyer's story is up next, and how could I possibly NOT want to read a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a time-traveler while on a quest with their bestest mates to a mythical island to find the water star???

    Next post:  my Mystery selection for my Reading Resolution, none other than the classic Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express.  All Aboard!
  

She's Baaaack...

Whew!  It's been a busy couple of months.  All settled in to the new job now, though, and ready to get back on track.  There's a lot to catch up on.  Forthcoming will be five reviews in rapid succession - one from the thriller category, one mystery, one romance, and two teen titles - all going toward my Reading Resolution challenge.  And don't think I haven't realized that I'm putting off all of my less-favored categories until the end...  But oh, well.  I've read a few books (that I may review, as well) that aren't part of the reading challenge, and I'm still on pace to finish easily within the year, so I should be able to buffer the awful books with ones I like.  ;)  So, until Monday when I shall make my next post, adieu. 

The (Not So) Secret History of a King

   Ahh, historical fiction, how I love you so.

  For the last two weeks (I know, I know, two weeks is a long time, but  as a mother of two who works two jobs, my allotted reading time is very limited, so cut me some slack) I've been reading Geraldine Brooks' The Secret Chord, and I've enjoyed every minute of it.  I was a little apprehensive about reading a fictionalized account of the life of a Biblical personality (having advanced through the childhood Sunday School ranks and studied Biblical history extensively, I tend to look at things like this very skeptically), but as a fan of Brooks' other works, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and delved in wholeheartedly.  And was not disappointed.

  The Secret Chord is a richly-detailed, unapologetically open-minded interpretation of the story of David, the Israelite king "after God's own heart".  Told in the words of Nathan the Prophet, the narrative moves backward and forward in time, so as to include all of David's life, from childhood until death, and chronicles his greatest accomplishments - and his biggest failures.  At once both triumphant and heartbreaking, I found this story to be compelling and real. 

   Brooks avoids the trap of attempting to add too much detail to make the text sound authentic to the period; rather, she just did excellent research and wrote the story with confidence, knowing that her knowledge would carry the story.  As a reader, I appreciated this.  In fact, I found her story so realistic that, at times, I cringed with the truth of what was happening.  Brooks does not shy away from setting a scene; there were several that, while I read them, made me admire her writing chops.  David's life was not one free from horrors, and in her effort to tell the whole story, Brooks makes readers a party to those horrors, as well.  There is nothing crass, nothing gratuitous, just reality.  And I felt David's jubilation when he succeeds, and his grievous pain when he fails. 

   Brooks takes her time with the characters, developing several of them so deeply a reader begins to understand their desires, their motivations.  Readers get to know them, and I found myself starting to side with one individual over another, or being suspicious of certain characters, piteous toward others.  David, Nathan, Michel, Bathsheba, Joab, and even some of David's children, like Absalom and Solomon, all but leap off the page, because in telling David's story, Brooks inevitably also tells their stories. 

   The deeper I got into this book, the more I fell in love with it.  I do not think it's for everyone - there are going to be some dyed-in-the-wool, conservative evangelicals who won't see it for what it is - a work of fiction.  However, if someone is looking for an interpretation of the life and times of one of the (arguably) most interesting characters in the Bible, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. 

   I press forward in my Reading Resolution to my next non-fiction title, which I hope will be a fun romp through the high seas.  I will be setting sail with the Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson.  Arghhhh!

  

Because Survival Is Insufficient

   Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel was *almost* enough to soften my dislike for post-apocalyptic dystopian narratives.  Almost.  And that "almost" is no negative reflection on Station Eleven, but rather speaks to my intense dislike of dystopian stories and settings.  This, though - this book was a brilliant, shining diamond in a world full of gray, bleak, and dusty rocks. 
   
   Now, here's what's different about Station Eleven, what sets it apart from all those other survivalist, the world is burning narratives: the world hasn't been destroyed  by zombies.  The apocalypse wasn't caused by nuclear fallout.  Aliens didn't take over the planet.  It was something completely believable - a flu virus - one that originated in Russia, spread like wildfire, and within a month killed 99.9% of earth's population.  Additionally, people aren't continually struggling to survive.  People are alive, and aside from the stray marauder and a delusional religious Prophet, things are fairly calm.  In that way, I would call this a quiet dystopia.  This book isn't about the survival of humanity, it's about the survival of arts and culture.  The characters are actors and musicians and artists, and they continue to keep their craft alive, even when some question its appropriateness.  And it forces readers to think about the question: if I had the responsibility of preserving human history for those who have no idea what life was like before, what would I save?  
  
   The book is set in multiple times, oscillating between the time before and twenty-five years after the collapse of civilization, with a few touch points  in between.  It's not difficult to follow the non-linear arrangement, though.  Mandel has no intentions of losing her readers.  Rather, she weaves together the stories of a few prominent characters, revealing information only when needed, and only in perfect amounts, allowing readers to become invested in the continuation of the story.  At the center of the narrative is a graphic novel, a two-book series created by one of the characters, and whose story line and themes mirror those of the novel, providing a living example of how art imitates life.  Or, in this case, vise-versa.  

  Technically speaking, the narrative is beautifully written.  It is spare, contains nothing extra or gratuitous, and every word seeks to advance the narrative.  There are no ambiguous statements, no mysterious ellipses - Mandel means what she says, and says what she means.  And as she pulls the threads of the narrative together, as the reader starts to become aware of the connections between the characters, each word becomes increasingly important.  And what I particularly loved about this book is it doesn't end in the bleak, hopeless way a lot of dystopian books end; Station Eleven ends resolved, and on a concrete note of hope. 

   Rarely when I close a book do I feel like I need to sit and contemplate what I've just read.  When I finished Station Eleven I said aloud, and to myself, "Wow, that was a really fantastic book."  And it is.  A really. Fantastic. Book.  I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading about the preservation of culture, those who like survival stories (though, as I said, this is survival of a different type), and those who like books with strong female characters (this book has plenty).  For read-alikes, Stephen King's The Stand also has an ensemble cast of flu survivors, though it is more graphic and action-packed for those of you who like a little faster pace.  Another choice would be The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan, which is a post-apocalyptic narrative told from multiple perspectives, and also features a traveling band of entertainers.  Finally, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller is another excellent choice, as it also chronicles a decimated population following a flu outbreak, and features ordinary people surviving in a bleak world. 

  In the wake of reading something futuristic, I feel a pull to look to the past for my next selection, so I will be reading a historical fiction title next.  Years ago I picked up People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks in an airport bookstore, and by the time I'd reached my destination I was so engrossed in the story I wished my flight was another three hours.  (I know, I know, who does that?)  I loved Brook's writing style, her attention to detail, and her ability to make me care about characters who lived hundreds - even thousands - of years ago.  I hope to have a similar experience with her newest novel, The Secret Chord.  I'll let you know how it goes. 

One Less Non-Fiction Title...

  One down, four to go.  Non-fiction titles, that is.  Per my Reading Resolution for 2016, I promised to read five non-fiction titles.  Well, I've just finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and that was (I guess) a non-fiction book.

  I like Malcolm Gladwell.  He's smart and interesting, a good speaker who has good ideas.  But in this case, I felt like that's just what they were - ideas.

  Here is the premise of Outliers, taken from Goodreads:
In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

  OK.  Sounds good, right?  I thought so, too.  And I went into this book with a completely open mind.  I enjoyed the book.  Gladwell has a casual writing style that's very conversational and easy to understand.  He's funny; he's charming.  And his wit and charm *almost* obscure the fact that his science is junk.  That's right, I said junk.  His "reasons" for success change by the page, and his examples seem to be cherry-picked for their ability to support his idea of the moment.  Many ideas are presented as fact, when there is another side to be considered he completely ignores.  His connections between some ideas are tenuous, at best, and his conclusions weren't quite enough to convince me.  Gladwell eschews the idea of "natural talent" for what he calls the "10,000 Hour Rule" in which he claims that hard work will always overcome natural talent - if natural talent even exists.  Hmmm.  He discusses how those who have societal, familial, and monetary advantages will *almost* always succeed over those who don't, and derides the idea of the "self-made" man. 

  I'd give the book a solid 3/5 because I really like the writing style, and I think the premise is provocative and interesting, if too narrowly explored.  All said, still a fascinating look at what kinds of thing influence success, whether we think about them or not.

  And... on to the next.  

  I am about ten chapters into Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.  This is a step outside of the box for me - it's a post-apocalyptic novel.  Normally, I'm not down with PA stuff - it's just not my cup of tea.  But this book is set in the Great Lakes region and centers on a troupe of actors and musicians as they navigate the landscape and try to retain some sense of culture in the world.  

  So far I'm very much enjoying the book - the author has a beautiful writing style that's somewhat musical, somewhat poetic, somewhat storyteller, and I love it.  Stay tuned for the follow-up review.

One Down

  I have two words for you: Air. Pirates. Oh, how I wish this was a real thing.  I'd quit both my jobs and join up with a buccaneer crew to participate in raiding and pillaging the skies.  Alas, these particular air pirates are only found in the Cinder Spires, the setting of Jim Butcher's latest fantasy endeavor.

  Last week I discussed my embarkation on a fantastic reading journey that I hope will last me most of 2016.  (You can read that post here.)  The first title I chose to read for my 2016 Reading Resolution project was The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher.  Now, I've mentioned before that I have a deep love for Harry Dresden, the hero of Butcher's Dresden Files series.  I find him a compelling character for many reasons, the least of which is the fact that he always seems to be in some sort of trouble, ofttimes through no fault of his own.  He does, however, usually connive a way out of that trouble using his wits.  I like smart characters.  And my deep admiration of Dresden had me a little nervous going into Windlass.  What if I (gasp) didn't like it?  Would it ruin any subsequent Dresden titles for me?  Would it sour me on Jim Butcher forever?  As it turns out, I was worrying needlessly.

  The Aeronaut's Windlass is a rollicking romp through the streets of a city (for lack of any equally adequate term) built in the mists of the sky to the decks of air ships captained by disgraced scoundrels.  And these streets and decks are full of *really interesting* characters.  Including sentient Cats.  Yes, you read that correctly - Cats.  With a capital C.  It is undoubtedly a fantasy, as there are elements of magic and imagination, and fantastic examples of both WORLDbuilding and WORDbuilding.  Additionally, it is a suggestively steampunk fantasy.  I LOVE STEAMPUNK.  (And dieselpunk, and cyberpunk...)  I say suggestively steampunk, because it contains all of the skeletal thematic elements of a steampunk story (gadgets, steam engines, goggles, leather, copper and brass, a feudal-type societal system, etc.) without bashing the reader over the head with them.  Essentially, the elements are there in the background of the story, rather than being the story.  In this way, Butcher is able to spin the story in his own way, rather than following any type of genre formula.

  First, let's talk about the setting.  The surface of the earth is shrouded in mists, which protect the Spire inhabitants from a sun whose rays would otherwise cause madness.  The Cinder Spires, miles-high towers built to shelter earth's inhabitants, are divided up into Houses and Guilds based on social rank and trade, and each Spire is home to a specific people group.  The Spires have, for years, been trading and forging alliances with one another, each hiding behind the strength of its air fleet.  Windlass takes place in Spire Albion.  This is the world Butcher's characters inhabit. 

  The characters in this book are fantastic.  The cast is diverse, but not too large, and the characters compliment and play off each other nicely.  First there are cousins Gwen and and Benedict, both members of the Spire Ark's guard and of House Lancaster, one of the most powerful families in the Spire.  Gwen is headstrong and sometimes short-sighted, but is brave and determined and loyal. Benedict is Warrior-Born, which means that he carries in his blood strains of lion DNA.  This gives him heightened senses, plus added strength and agility.  Interestingly, this also makes him somewhat of a social outcast, as the Warrior-Born are seen as lesser.  Next, there is Grimm, captain of the airship Predator.  Wrongly disgraced and expelled from Fleet, he exists as a privateer.  He has a rigid sense of right and wrong, though those two may not exist exactly the way one might expect.  Then there are Bridgit, of the noble if somewhat diminished House of Tagwyn, and Rowl, prince of the Silent  Paws.  Bridgit is the quiet voice of reason in the group, and Rowl is, well, as Cat, and thinks and behaves exactly as one would expect a Cat to behave.  Finally, Ferus and Folly, the old, half-mad Etherialist and his wispy apprentice (think Luna Lovegood) call into question of truth and perception.

  I am loath to give away any points of the plot, as they are many and deeply intertwined.  Suffice to say there is nothing boring in this book.  There is action, there is dialogue, there is romance, there is deception, there are duels, there are air battles, etc.  Yet it never seems rushed or busy.  The pacing is such that it makes one want to keep reading, yet is never overwhelming.

  Overall, this was a wonderful, swashbuckling adventure I enjoyed every minute of.  I would highly recommend it to fans of adventure stories, as well as those who are avid sci-fi/fantasy and steampunk readers.

  So, on to the next title.

  I am teaching Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers in one of my classes this fall.  I've never read it.  Therefore, Outliers is next on my reading list by default.  It hails from the 300 section of the library, and will count as one of my five non-fiction titles.  I am briefly acquainted with the concept of the book - Gladwell studies what makes people successful.  And it's not what you think.  Stay tuned...

And Happy New Year... Late.

New Year's resolutions aren't my thing.  I'm not a resoluter.  I don't resolute.  I find that making a resolution (in my experience, anyway) is basically daring myself to fail.  And I don't like to fail.  So, you will never find me resolving to become a vegetarian, or resolving to lose that pesky extra five pounds, or resolving to donate more of my time to charity.  (Not that those aren't all good things.)  I may do those things, but I'm not going to resolve to do it.

That said, one resolution I'm not opposed to is a reading resolution.  Becky Spratford, the library world's own Reader's Advisory guru and the author of the gem blog RA for All  recently posted her New Year's Reading Resolutions, and I thought to myself why, that's an utterly brilliant idea!  You see, my approach to reading is rather willy-nilly; I read what sounds good.  However, I am grown-up enough to know that only reading what appeals to me will never help me develop my knowledge of, say, philosophy (gag), or familiarize myself with what's going on down on the Amish prairie.  And as a librarian who makes it her goal to provide quality reader's advisory for her patrons, this is a less-than-ideal situation.  This is where the reading resolution comes in.

I have authored for myself a three-part reading resolution for 2016.  The goal here is to broaden my genre knowledge base and (gulp) read some non-fiction.  Now, I did read two whole non-fiction books last year.  Both were by Erik Larson (Dead Wake and The Devil in the White City), and both were superb.  It helped that I listened to them on audio, and that Scott Brick and Tony Goldwyn respectively, both did a brilliant job with the narrations.  I would read more Larson books.  I would read all the Larson books.  But, well, I'll bet you can see the problem with that.  It's still not branching out.  So, here's how I plan to break out of my reading safe-zone and learn ALL THE NEW THINGS.

FIRST, to read five non-fiction titles and review them upon completion.  This sounds easier than it will be, because I am placing a restriction on myself: these five books must be from three different Dewey number ranges.  For you non-library folk, there are ten Dewey ranges (the 0s - the 900s), and each step of the 00s indicates a different range of subject areas.  This means I can't just read five biographies; what it does mean is that I'm going to end up reading something I really don't want to.  But I guess that's kinda' the point, right?

SECOND, to read one title from each genre and review it upon completion.  This is around ten books, depending on whether one counts "women's fiction", "inspirational", and "new adult fiction" as genres.  Generally, the accepted genres are Thriller, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Western, and Horror.  Then there's the optional Women's Fiction, Inspirational Fiction, and New Adult Fiction.  Now, some of these are areas in which I regularly read, such as HF and FSY (Historical Fiction and Fantasy for the Cretins).  Some are not, such as WF (kill me now) and IF (sorry, Zondervan, but just nope).  The problem is, many of my patrons <3 WF and IF.  So this puts me at a disadvantage.  Hopefully, this plan will take care of that.  There are a myriad of sub-genres represented here, as well, so I have many options.

THIRD, to read at least three each Teen and Juvenile books and review them upon completion.  This shouldn't be too much of a stretch for me.  I still read some of the authors who were writing when I was a teen (which doesn't really SEEM that long ago until I start to do the math), so they are already on my to-read list.  And as I have a two-year-old, it only seems wise that I start building her a must-read list.  Oh, and there are a million billion kiddos who come in to the library every day looking for books.

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED the "review them" qualification I put on each part of my reading resolution.  This is to keep me honest.  If I know there are people *anxiously awaiting* my review of a title, it may inspire me to follow through (note: sarcasm).  What reviews do is allow me to think through all aspects of a title, and consider which books might be good "readalikes", or titles I can suggest to patrons who want to read something "exactly like Fifty Shades of Grey!".  Oy-vey.  It also keeps me visiting my blog and my Goodreads page, and helps me build my NoveList base.  All things that are great resources, and, in the long run, will help me better serve my patrons.

By my count, that gives me around twenty-five books to read to fulfill my resolution.  That's not bad; definitely doable.  And it leaves me room to fill in the gap with things I *really want to read*.  ;)  My plan is to herald the beginning of a new book with a post, and announce its completion with a review. This is an experiment; I've never tried something of its like.  We'll see how it goes.  But I would love some cheers and encouragement along the way, so feel free to weigh in.  If you've read the book I'm reading, let me know your thoughts about it.  (But NO SPOILERS, or I will sic the nazgul on you.)  If you disagree with my review or my opinions, I welcome that, as well.  One of the most interesting things about books is the profoundly different effect they have on people.  I love a good discussion.

I AM BEGINNING WITH...  The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher, which will fulfill the Fantasy genre requirement.  I chose this book because it's been staring up at me from my desk for a couple of months now, begging me to read it.  I love Jim Butcher.  Wait, that's not right.  I love Harry Dresden.  So I am eager to see what Butcher can do with characters that aren't Chicago's only wizard for hire.  Review to follow.